Author Archives: sarahruscitella

Chile sentences 33 over Pinochet-era disappearances

The High Court in Chile has sentenced 33 former intelligence agents for the disappearance of five political activists in 1987. The court said that the five had been abducted and killed, and their bodies thrown into the sea. Investigators said they were killed in revenge for the abduction of an army colonel by left-wing guerrillas. The five are believed to… Read more »

Colombia’s coca production soars to highest level in two decades, US says

Coca production in Colombia has surged to levels unseen in two decades of US eradication efforts, according to a new White House report. Cultivation of the plant used to make cocaine rose 18% last year from 2015, with officials in the Andean nation estimating 188,000 hectares (465,000 acres) of Colombian land now contained coca crops.

Analysis Post: Will Cuba embrace the internet revolution?

I think the expansion of internet access could help accelerate economic development. If people can access more information, hopefully it will lead to a more educated and more skilled workforce that can drive innovation. If the embargo is dropped, a strong Cuban economy could become an advantageous trade partner for the U.S. Critics of lifting the embargo say it will… Read more »

Mexico City’s deportee work program hopes to help ousted migrants resettle (The Guardian)

Sanctuary city is first to take action to find jobs and provide retraining courses for growing number of US undocumented immigrants forced to leave. Jorge Valdéz Rivera emerged in tears from the airport security doors at MexicoCity’s international terminal, clutching a small rucksack with a few meagre belongings he’d salvaged from his American life.

Canada increases resources at US border to handle influx of asylum-seekers (The Guardian)

Canada is enforcing its border laws and is willing to put more resources in place to deal with the influx of asylum-seekers from the US, the federal public safety minister, Ralph Goodale, said Saturday. Goodale visited Emerson, Manitoba, a small town on the US border north of Minnesota and North Dakota that has seen some 200 illicit crossings so far… Read more »

Will Cuba embrace the internet revolution? (BBC)

No matter how much you warn visitors to Cuba that they’ll be offline during their stay, they often won’t believe it until they actually arrive in Havana. On arrival, they find their iPads and smartphones suddenly only serve for taking photos which, to their dismay, can’t be immediately posted to their Instagram or Facebook accounts.